Date: Sunday June 9, 2024 - Sunday June 18, 2024
Start: Vaduz
Finish: Villars-Sur-Ollon
Total distance: 950km
Stages: Eight
Defending champion: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
This year’s edition of the Tour de Suisse will be its 85th, having taken place for the first time in 1933. The Swiss Cycling and Motorcycling Federation created the now eight-stage race, but over time, it has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. One thing that has always remained the same throughout the race’s history is the iconic mountain passes in the Swiss Alps which the route boasts, attracting the sport’s best climbers to the race.
A spectacle for cycling fans on the roadside or watching on the TV, the landscape in Switzerland provides a picturesque background to the race. In the first edition, over half a million people took to the streets to watch the peloton battle for victory on the Swiss roads. That year, Austrian rider Max Bulla took the overall title. It wasn’t until 1937, four years after the first edition, that a Swiss rider claimed victory on home soil with Karl Litschi.
Unsurprisingly, Swiss riders have had the most success at the Tour de Suisse, winning the stage race 17 times overall. Italy closely follows, having taken the title 16 times, followed by Belgium, who have won it eight times. But there is only one rider holds the title for having won the race four times, and that is Pasquale Fornara, who won the race in 1952, 1954, 1957, and 1958.
A number of active riders have had great success at the Tour de Suisse, but none more than Peter Sagan. He has won the most stages in the race’s history with 17 stage wins since 2011. The 33-year-old rider has also won the points classification eight times, defending his title from 2011 until 2016 when he came second behind Maximiliano Richeze. The only other rider close to Sagan is the retired Fabian Cancellara, who has 11 stage wins to his name, as do Hugo Koblet and Ferdinand Kübler.
Last year’s winner was Lidl-Trek’s Mattias Skjelmose, and he is back to retain his Tour de Suisse title. But this year, he’ll be against riders like Tom Pidcock and Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Jan Hirt (Soudal–Quick-Step), and João Almedia (UAE Team Emirates), all of whom will be wanting a successful race ahead of bigger challenges ahead.
Tour de Suisse 2024 teams:
- Bora-Hansgrohe
- Cofidis
- Movistar
- Lidl-Trek
- Intermaché-Wanty
- UAE Team Emirates
- Visma-Lease a Bike
- Jayco Alula
- Team dsm-fermenich PostNL
- Soudal–Quick-Step
- Ineos Grenadiers
- Groupama-FDJ
- EF Education-EasyPost
- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
- Bahrain-Victorious
- Astana Qazaqstan
- Arkéa-B&B Hotels
- Alpecin-Deceuninck
- Lotto Dstny
- Israel-Premier Tech
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- Team Corratec-Vini Fantanin
- Switzerland
Tour de Suisse 2024 route:
Video sourced from the official Tour de Suisse YouTube
Starting in the city of Vaduz, the 2024 edition of the Tour de Suisse opens with a short individual time trial of 4.8km. It is completely flat and only consists of three left-hand turns, so those who are good against the clock will be able to start their race with a bang. Stage two starts in Vaduz once again and heads to Regensdorf over a 176.9km-long route – the longest stage of the race. There are three categorised climbs throughout with the last coming 10km from the finish.
Stage three is labelled as a flat stage, but it is not a guarantee the sprinters will take the victory on this stage with category three Albis Pass close to the finish. But they’ll be keen to claim a stage win as from stage four comes four back-to-back mountain stages. Starting in Rüschlikon, stage four is the first mountain finish of the race, finishing atop the famous Gotthardpass.
Stage five is another mountain stage starting in Ambri, consisting of 3,206 metres of elevation. It also includes another mountain top finish in Cari, climbing 1,493 metres to the finish line. The following stage would have been the race's highest point, however, due to severe weather, the Nufenen Pass will not be included. Instead, stage six has been shortened to 42.5km and will start in Ulrichen.
The final mountain stage of the race starts and finishes in Villars-Sur Ollon and is 118.2 kilometres long. The route is two laps of a 60km course, both including the Col de la Croix climb. This will be a stage where gaps could be widened in the GC, especially with only another individual time trial standing between them and the overall title. However, the time trial is expected to cause fireworks with nearly 900 metres of elevation to tackle after four mountain stages. This year’s Tour de Suisse is certainly a race of attrition.
Stage one: 4.8km / Vaduz - Vaduz
Stage two: 176.9km / Vaduz - Regensdorf
Stage three: 161.7km / Steinmaur - Rüschlikon
Stage four: 170.9km / Rüschlikon - San Gottardo
Stage five: 148.6km / Ambri - Cari
Stage six: 42.5km / Ulrichen - Batten-Belalp
Stage seven: 118.2km / Villars-Sur-Ollon - Villars-Sur-Ollon
Stage eight: 15.7km / Aigle - Villars-Sur-Ollon
